


Caught in the Ice

by mistrali



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27355732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistrali/pseuds/mistrali
Summary: “Zuko was going to freeze.”For firelord65, for the Tuesday flash exchange. Especially if you’re American, I hope this gives you some stress relief from your completely unremarkable Tuesday 3rd!
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15
Collections: The tuesday Celebration Flash





	Caught in the Ice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firelord65](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelord65/gifts).



> Warnings for violence.
> 
> The exchange between Zuko and Ozai is adapted from canon.

Zuko was going to freeze to death. Shivering uncontrollably, his black woollen coat and pants drenched through, he struggled to escape the rings of ice that bound his hands and legs to the side of the glacier. He couldn’t move a muscle. Which meant he couldn’t melt the ice before sunset, which meant that he was going to drown. Slowly. With no one to save him from being eaten alive by dolphin piranhas. And then their last hope - the Avatar, wherever he or she was - would remain hidden forever.

He tried to summon his rage against the marauding United Water Tribes who had conquered the Earth Kingdom and wiped out the Air nomads. But all he had left was despair.

“What would Uncle say?” he mumbled. “Zuko, my nephew, you will not find honour in Ozai’s pride, you will only find it within yourself.’ Or ‘Zuko, if you cannot focus on a game of pai sho, how will you focus on finding the Avatar and restoring balance to our world?’ AAAGH! That doesn’t _HELP!_ ”

Maybe thinking of heat would trigger it. Lightning strikes... meteors... volcanoes, smithies. Stovetops, fireplaces, cups of warm milk. Hugs from Uncle, huge and enveloping and soft, smelling reassuringly of pai sho sandalwood and fragrant spiced tea.

Zuko wished Uncle was here. He would’ve broken them out of here in thirty seconds.

 _No,_ thought Zuko. _Not good enough_. He needed to be boiling with rage. There was... Uncle’s old tea shop on Ember Island, the Jasmine Dragon, which Water insurgents had raided ten years ago and left a flooded ruin. Zuko forced himself to remember the way they’d smashed down the door, then marched in in strict formation, brandishing razor-sharp whaletooth-and-iron spears longer than Iroh’s arm. Most of the tiny force of Dragon Warriors had been taken prisoner and their bronze maces, chakras and discuses confiscated, except Uncle, who had managed to elude his captors. But not before six-year-old Zuko, one of the last firebenders in the Fire Nation, had run for the cliffs, Azula’s hand clutched tightly in his. Like a coward. For weeks afterwards, he’d had nightmares about drowning. He wouldn’t - couldn’t - fail Uncle this time.

Whoosh! A tiny pop of flame, not even enough to light a candle.

_“You’ve dishonoured me again, Zuko. Pakku and his seal-brained warriors will skin you alive!“ Father’s face, Father’s voice, as icy as these very waters, after Zuko had refused to fight an Agni Kai against Azula..._

_“I won’t fight her! Just because you can’t firebend -”_

_“You will learn respect for our ancient traditions!”_

_Then the naked torch flung at his face, Azula’s smirk, the blue-white stippling of pain across his right eye... waking up in the infirmary to Uncle’s voice telling him he needed to rest and recover..._

Another palmful of fire flared, sizzled and died in Zuko’s hand.

Zuko squeezed his eyes shut and screamed in frustration. Why wouldn’t it work?

When he opened them, a girl was surfing towards him on a wave of water. She was dressed in the blue fur breeches and blue tunic of her people, but her face was painted bright white… no, realised Zuko, she wore a white mask, like a spirit mask. Elegant swirls of red striped her cheeks and chin and shaded her expressive blue eyes. Her head was covered by a large fur cap, obscuring her hairstyle.

He blinked. Was he already hallucinating from too long in the cold? But the spirit didn’t fade - she stayed where she was, a solid presence.

“Who are you?” Zuko asked. But the figure only put a finger to her lips. Then she made a sharp, slicing movement with one hand.

_Cr-r-r-ack!_

His bonds shattered. When he tried to move his fingers to bend, he couldn’t. They felt frozen solid, welded to the ice, and for a moment he thought the skin would come off as he tried to pry them loose from the glacier.

“W-water w-w-warriors - c-c-aptured our people,” snarled Zuko, though his chattering teeth and numb lips ruined the effect. “W-hy s-should I accept y-your help?”

She shrugged and spread her hands - _you don’t have much choice, do you?_

Well, no. He didn’t. He didn’t want to die here, never to see home again, even if _home_ just now meant living from campfire to campfire as he made his way to the Northern Air Temple. At this rate he’d be as old as Uncle before he managed it.

He’d have to swallow his pride and ask this girl for a boat.

**Author's Note:**

> I do love the Water tribes in canon! But I had to make them somewhat antagonistic for this role reversal, since I wanted a Zuko/Katara parallel.
> 
> Also, apologies if this contradicts any of the larger canon (comics, Word of God or LOK), as I’m only familiar with ATLA.


End file.
